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Hvac wiz 79,
Believe it or not, you have an advantage. After the Navy, I have worked as a pipe fitter, tin worker, HVAC tech (residential, commercial, and industrial), plumber, electronics tech, BAS tech and designer to present. I have assisted other HVAC personnel not to cross over, but converge into BAS tech/designer. You probably already understand electronics, but now get on the computer and learn your way through the digital world. As you can tell; I like to see HVAC personnel willing to learn a new field. Contact any major controls company and find a mentor or just be willing to take on a shadow. Don't be afraid of technology; embrace it and find the opportunity to use current knowledge.

I will no longer tell the MC what their problem is only that is is NOT a controls problem. They have a habit of using the TC guy to do their mechanical troubleshooting/diagnostic work for them. In the last few years the MC's only have a few real Techs and they keep them on the big problems not Bid-Spec jobs. Just sayin' !

MC's and GC's have no idea how busy the "controls guy" is, nor do they care. Usually the "controls guy" is more capable than any of the MC technicians to troubleshoot any problems. MC's tend to use "installers" and while they may be skilled and knowledgeable installers, they usually do not have experience in trouble shooting or service. That being said, I have learned as you have that on a project like this I test to see if my end is working properly and if it is i simply tell them "I'm calling for it but its not running, we will need to get contractor x to check it out".

There are some awesome relies on here, I found myself saying "Hell Yeah!" alot. Definitely being blamed for every problem until you can prove otherwise (Hence my signature).

To be good at controls, you really do need to find it interesting, then you'll find yourself on here, and other places on the internet in your own time, seeing what's out there.

You'll also eventually go a bit mad. All the good guys @ controls I know are either a little bit or a lot mad. One end of the spectrum is the chaotic guy, the other end is the hyper organized guy. Both are equally nuts, but don't be too quick to judge anyone you meet like this, they all have valuable things to teach you.

The most enjoyable part of it is the feeling of being across the whole building, all of the systems. You don't have to answer to many people on site (apart from who you'd exect), and they can't micro manage you because they can't see or understand what you're doing.

The control guy is one who can politely inform an engineer who's got a Masters degree (and who won an energy-saving contact) that his SOO is unpractical and unrealistic (and basically full of B.S.). There are times when the control guy has to deal with folks who make/design things much more difficult than need be. K.I.S.S. engineering comes from common sense, experience (and Forums like this).

Yours truly has to deal with this SOO for a new High School science bldg (No. Calif):

Cooling Mode: When the the system in the "Cooling Mode" the AHU will provide cooled air or unconditioned air, depending on the zone conditions. The supply air temperature will be determined:
1. Every 30 minutes (user adj. input) a geometrically weighted average deviation from setpoint is calculated using the following formula:
a) Deviation Average = a(Wi x (Ti - T_Room_SP)/a(Wi). Where Wi = weighting, T_Room_SP = the zone setpoint, Ti = Zone Temps.
b) If the deviation (Deviation_average) is greater than 2F then the coil valve will modulate to provide a supply temperature 65F (user adj. input). Else if the OAT is greater or equal to 75F, the coil valve will modulate to provide a supply air temp. of 70F (user adj. input).
c) Else if the OAT is less than 75F, the coil valve will be closed and unconditioned outdoor air will be provide (user adj.input)

The "geometrically weighted average deviation" logic was eventually ripped out of the code.

There are some awesome relies on here, I found myself saying "Hell Yeah!" alot. Definitely being blamed for every problem until you can prove otherwise (Hence my signature).

To be good at controls, you really do need to find it interesting, then you'll find yourself on here, and other places on the internet in your own time, seeing what's out there.

You'll also eventually go a bit mad. All the good guys @ controls I know are either a little bit or a lot mad. One end of the spectrum is the chaotic guy, the other end is the hyper organized guy. Both are equally nuts, but don't be too quick to judge anyone you meet like this, they all have valuable things to teach you.

The most enjoyable part of it is the feeling of being across the whole building, all of the systems. You don't have to answer to many people on site (apart from who you'd exect), and they can't micro manage you because they can't see or understand what you're doing.

I thought that was only here in NYC. Glad we are not the only ones going mad (in a good way).

Controls has a funny effect on people. No matter how nuts I go, i will always love the thrill of this line of work.

The real thrill is on the service side of controls. Install is working with the 'prints' DOWN; Service
is working UP w/o the prints! Reminds me of that "Steealers Wheel" song:

Well I don't know why I came here tonight,
I got the feeling that something ain't right,
I'm so scared in case I fall off my chair,
And I'm wondering how I'll get down the stairs,
Clowns to the left of me,
Jokers to the right, here I am,
Stuck in the middle with you.